The prior art includes a certain number of devices for renewing the air in the space inside a headlamp, in particular so as to avoid phenomena of water accumulating or condensing on the cold portions thereof.
In particular, a certain number of solutions are known that make use of a chimney having an open top end and communicating at a level lower than said top end with the space inside the headlamp. By placing the open end of the chimney in the air stream of the moving vehicle, a suction system is established in the chimney which tends to evacuate the moisture-laden air contained in the headlamp. Fresh air is thus spontaneously drawn into the headlamp through another opening, e.g. situated in the bottom region of the headlamp.
This kind of known solution nevertheless presents a certain number of drawbacks. Firstly, because the ventilation chimney has a relatively exposed open top end inside the engine compartment of the vehicle, there is an increase in the risk that water may penetrate accidentally into the space inside the headlamp, in particular when washing the engine compartment with a high pressure water jet, which practice is becoming more and more common.
In addition, the above known ventilation device is disadvantageous in that no air flows over the open top end of the chimney when the vehicle is stationary, so ventilation is no longer provided.
An object of the present invention is to mitigate these drawbacks and to provide a ventilation device in which the risks of water penetrating accidentally into the space inside the headlamp are minimized, and in which ventilation is suitably provided even when the vehicle is stationary.